Vacaville – The recent Executive Order stripping federal employees of their collective bargaining rights is one of several that directly impacts the men and women of IBEW 1245.
Under the guise of “national security”, some federal agencies have been instructed to cease honoring their bargaining obligations, to stop deducting union dues and to cease grievance proceedings. Unfortunately, IBEW 1245 members at the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) are included within the Order, and they have been put on notice that their collective bargaining rights are consequently null and void.
Why WAPA? What does it do? Who are 1245’s members there? And why does it matter?
Established in 1977 under the Department of Energy, WAPA was created to market and distribute power generated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) projects. WAPA’s Sierra Nevada Region operates California’s federally owned high-voltage transmission system, delivering low cost and reliable hydroelectric power to public utilities across California. WAPA plays a critical role in delivering low-cost, renewable energy, reinforcing the benefits of not-for-profit energy distribution over private, investor-driven models.
On a nuts-and-bolts level, WAPA delivers power from hydro power plants like Shasta, Folsom, Trinity and New Melones dams to SMUD, the City of Redding, and countless other public utilities and municipalities. Without WAPA, that power could not be transmitted.
IBEW 1245 members at WAPA are Lineman, Electricians, Protection and Communication Craftsmen, and Electronic Equipment Craftsmen who maintain WAPA’s facilities and infrastructure. The work they do meets the equivalent annual electrical needs of 650,000 Californians and helps ensure the reliability of this essential energy system.
In sum, their work is fundamental to the sustainability and efficiency of the grid.
And they are also part of the core mission of IBEW, which includes ensuring (1) the accessibility and reliability of electrical power, (2) the safety of our communities and members, and (3) the just compensation and fair treatment of our members in their employment.
Why does all of this matter?
The attack on the collective bargaining rights of our sisters and brothers at WAPA threatens the entire house of labor. This assault is likely the first step of a larger project aimed at crippling the labor movement and stripping millions of unionized employees in both the public and private sectors of their rights.
We all know that absent a collective bargaining agreement, workers are at heightened risk of unfair treatment, and being subject to decisions that are made arbitrarily, with no recourse or due process. The record shows that those who are “at will” (non-union) employees suffer lower wages, poorer benefits, weaker retirement benefits and lower safety standards. Workers are more easily fired without cause.
IBEW 1245 is collaborating with our local, state and national labor allies, both political and legal, to challenge this Executive Order, which we believe is blatantly illegal. We are examining any and all options for recourse. To be sure, other International unions have already stepped into the breach and filed their own lawsuits. And just this week, two Congressmen introduced legislation which would reverse the nullification of federal workers’ rights to collectively bargain. But if there’s an opportunity for IBEW 1245 to join the fight, we will not stand idly by. We will act.
Our ancestors fought (and died) for the right to form a Union – a group of working men and women standing together to negotiate fair wages, safe working conditions, benefits and a dignified retirement with those in power. They laid the foundation upon which we have grown the various crafts that we represent along with the Union and the collective pride that comes with supporting ourselves and our loved ones and being part of something bigger than ourselves.
Despite these unprecedented times, IBEW 1245 will continue to fight for the rights of our members at WAPA, and for all of our members.
– Bob Dean, IBEW 1245 Business Manager